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As organizations struggle to fill vital roles with qualified
candidates, some of the greatest frustrations experienced by
managers come from failed recruitments. Whether your organization
has 10 or 10,000 members, the ability to select the right
candidate is a game changer in the war for talent and the quest
to reduce personnel costs.

A proven way to avoid costly turnover from failed hires is to
offer qualified candidates a realistic job preview.

Such a preview can reveal pivotal aspects of a job and test
whether prospective candidates are likely to succeed. Gaining
this accurate perspective on the job's true demands provides the
best chance for both sides to determine fit before a commitment
is made. While there will always be the risk of a mismatch in
hiring,
a preview offers some safeguard against the guesswork that often
pervades this critical decision. Here are three strategies for
implementing previews to reduce the incidence of bad hiring
decisions.

1. Go beyond the job description. Once the
recruitment and selection phase has ended and the employment
relationship is solidified, only then do most people discover the
true demands of a new job through a process of trial and error.
Coming to terms with these brutal facts can derail a new
employee’s success if the reality severely contradicts their
expectations.

This occurs in part because of the double reality of work: All
the tasks and activities listed in a standard job description
tell only part of the story about what it takes to succeed. On
the other hand, there is always the “job within the job.” That's
made up of those hidden components like effectively collaborating
with difficult people, navigating confusing workplace politics
and getting great work done amid shrinking resources and
increasing demands.

While it may be true that this double reality of work is
unavoidable at some level, a realistic job preview can reduce the
surprise factor and help avoid the painful blind-side effect of a
severe mismatch. Start by going beyond the job description and
analyze a position with core questions to reveal deeper details,
such as these:

1. How does this position contribute to the organization's
overall success?

2. What unique contributions will the successful candidate make
to the team?

3. What subtle challenges confront a person in this role?

4. What unique capabilities does the candidate need to succeed?

The goal of questions like these is to spark a different kind of
conversation, one that exposes the known complexities of the
position and limits the remaining pockets of ambiguity to those
unavoidable circumstances that can only be tested on the job.

Design the interview accordingly. The interview
experience is the next focused arena for providing a realistic
job preview. This can be accomplished, however, only if the
interview is structured in a way to increase transparency, reveal
concrete expectations and provide insight into the cultural
factors the new employee will encounter within the organization.
Each position is different, so the following options can be
combined so provide an environment for painting a clear and
compelling picture of the job:

1. Biographical interview: Focus on a chronological assessment of
a candidate’s past experiences.

2. Behavioral interview: Seek specific examples of how he or she
has performed certain tasks.

4. Stress interview: Do scenario testing that creates anxiety so
you can how see how candidate responds.

In addition to using formal interview processes, other vehicles
can help both sides arrive at a realistic preview. Employers can
request work samples or offer trial experiences to assess
performance. Organizations can produce interactive videos that
illustrate basic expectations and day-in-the-life scenarios. And
candidates can spend time on-site shadowing workers or attending
question-and-answer sessions with current employees.

Provide an “out” to confirm commitment. Job
previews can provide an “out” for both the candidate and
employer; they weed out the ill-equipped and disinterested and
focus qualified candidates on the true criteria for success.
While it may seem counterintuitive, this escape mechanism can
intensify legitimate commitments from those truly fit for the
opportunity.

Although a comprehensive evaluation of the employment
relationship is better for both parties, pressures faced by
employers and potential employees may deter them from taking
advantage of realistic job previews. For job seekers, the desire
to be employed is often strong enough to force lingering doubts
aside. If so, candidates might roll the dice and accept an offer
-- even if it’s based on limited information, a superficial job
description and filtered details about the organization’s culture
-- and lack the patience to test for a careful match.

A company may feel compelled to produce glossy materials
portraying the organization in the most positive light. Yet
ultimately it would be more effective for managers to move past
the veneer and present a fuller picture of the firm’s past
success, as well as its goals for future growth and improvement.
This candor ideally would lead them to providing useful details
about the chemistry of the team, managers' decision-making habits
and the relative pressures and the challenges and opportunities
that could affect the position.

While it may take time and energy to shift to a “warts-and-all”
approach to recruitment and candidate selection, prospective
employees will gain a deeper sense of commitment as a result.
This will lead to solid hiring choices that improve retention and
reduce costly failed hires.